Draft: The Panesar Draft

[Aislabie]

Unlucky Dip Player 28...

Philip Hutchinson

Nominated by: @Master Bates

Test stats: 14 runs @ 3.50 (best 11) in 2 matches
First-class stats: 14 runs @ 3.50 (best 11) in 2 matches

Apparently regarded as one of Natal's finest batsmen in the 1880s, his two Test appearances against England in 1889 - in matches retrospectively regarded as Tests even though the standard of play was... yes - are two of only four games that I could find for him even on CricketArchive. In the others, he scored 29 (top-scoring) and 9 for a 15-man Natal team that lost to England (who were bowled out for 176) by an innings, then scored 26 for South Africa in the "fill-up match" in which two of the England XI didn't bother turning up, the wickets on the scorecard don't add up, and the South African innings doesn't add up either.

And the player goes to... @DalePlaysCricket

His team so far:
Philip Hutchinson

 

[Ed Smith]

Yeah, of course

 

[Aislabie]

Unlucky Dip Player 29...


Pommie Mbangwa

Nominated by: @DalePlaysCricket

Test stats: 32 wickets @ 31.43 (best 3/23) in 15 matches
First-class stats: 126 wickets @ 28.41 (2 5WI, best 6/14) in 62 matches

Dreadful though he might have been as a one-day bowler, Pommie Mbangwa could at least get the red ball to move around a little bit at a gentle pace. Some of his Test victims included Mohammad Yousuf, Stephen Fleming and Rahul Dravid, so he clearly knew what he was doing (with the ball at least - let's not mention his batting), even if he curiously went 15 Tests without ever recording a four-wicket haul. He fell out of love with the playing side of the game, but he remains a respected TV commentator.

And the player goes to... @CerealKiller

His team so far:
Wasim Haider
Sanaullah Khan
Pommie Mbangwa
Raja Maharaj Singh

A decent couple of seamers, although it comes to something when Pommie looks likely to bat at ten.

 

[Aislabie]

Unlucky Dip Player 30...

Alec Douglas-Home

Nominated by: @CerealKiller

First-class stats: 147 runs @ 16.33 (best 37*) and 12 wickets @ 30.25 (best 3/43) in 10 matches

The only British Prime Minister to have played first-class cricket. He came through the traditional route of Eton and Oxford, so he got to play at Lord's a lot. And for context as to just how privileged he was, he was known as "Lord Dunglass" during his time playing for Eton. He would renounce his title in order to become Prime Minister and sit in the Commons, but this isn't about that. This is about his cricket, which was pretty okay.

And the player goes to... @Nilay_60

His team so far:
Monkey Hornby
Aakash Chopra
Alec Douglas-Home
Ranjan Das

That is... a pretty okay foursome, regardless of who your fifth player ends up being.

 

[Yash.]

We talk about obscure picks and this one might be the finest of all. Seriously, where on earth did you think of him from?

That’s a compliment for me. I was just finding some relatives of Omer Hossain. Then, I went to see scottish players with various letters. And viola!

 

[Aislabie]

Unlucky Dip Player 31...

Rubel Hossain

Nominated by: @Nilay_60

Test stats: 36 wickets @ 76.77 (1 5WI, best 5/166) in 27 matches
First-class stats: 97 wickets @ 54.03 (4 5WI, best 7/51) in 60 matches

The entire career of Rubel Hossain begs a single question: why? And that question still doesn't have an answer. To an extent, you can see why a player might get an opportunity based on pace and potential despite questionable stats behind them. But 27 opportunities? The mind boggles. Rubel's last Test appearance came in Bangladesh's most recent Test, so one presumes that this weird experiment isn't over.

And the player goes to... @DalePlaysCricket

His team so far:
Philip Hutchinson
Rubel Hossain

 

[Aislabie]

Unlucky Dip Player 32...


Wally Edwards

Nominated by: @El Loco

Test stats: 68 runs @ 11.33 (best 30) in 3 matches
First-class stats: 1,381 runs @ 30.68 (2 centuries, best 153) in 25 matches

Speaking of "why?", why did the 24-year-old Edwards make a Test debut barely a year into his professional career? Why did he retire before the age of 30? It's not that his is the most glaringly poor selection Australia has ever had, more just that it doesn't really make any sense. And I can't find a notable cricket site with a proper biography of the man, and I'm not going to go digging for hours until I find one because I've got 28 more players to do after him.

And the player goes to... @ahmedleo414

His team so far:
Wally Edwards
Brian Vitori
Ajit de Silva

Still a pretty competent team here...

 

[Aislabie]

Unlucky Dip Player 33...

Terryn Fray

Nominated by: None (Reserve player)

First-class stats: 3 runs @ 1.50 (best 2) in 1 match

Terryn Fray made his debut for Bermuda while still a teenager, and in the time since he has made 472 runs for the national team at 11.23 a time. He came to the UK for a while to try to play MCCU cricket, but he couldn't get into the team. Currently he retains his place in the national team in the basis of being captain - a familiar story in this draft.

And the player goes to... @deleted member

His team so far:
Terryn Fray
Sailung Zorinliana

Not exactly Virat Kohli, but surely things should get a bit better from here?

 

[Aislabie]

Unlucky Dip Player 34...

Alamgir Kabir

Nominated by: @ahmedleo414

Test stats: 0 wickets (econ. 5.08) in 3 matches
First-class stats: 182 wickets @ 25.71 (7 5WI, best 7/76) in 54 matches

Another casualty of the Anwar Hossain Monir era of Bangladeshi fast bowling, Kabir's economy rate was just slightly less bad than his countryman but that's about all there was to separate their Test careers. Unlike Monir though, Kabir was able to retain the confidence to go back to domestic cricket and keep doing a good job. Not an outstanding job by any means - when looking at NCL seamers, the context you need is that Farhad Reza also manages to have eerily similar stats to Kabir.

And the player goes to... @Aislabie

My team so far:
Sabbir Rahman
Susantha Karunaratne
Alamgir Kabir
Seymour Clark

Kabir and Karunaratne are going to be a big chunk of my seam "attack". What is life?

 

[CerealKiller]

Unlucky Dip Player 32...

View attachment 231394
Wally Edwards

Nominated by: @El Loco

Test stats: 68 runs @ 11.33 (best 30) in 3 matches
First-class stats: 1,381 runs @ 30.68 (2 centuries, best 153) in 25 matches

Speaking of "why?", why did the 24-year-old Edwards make a Test debut barely a year into his professional career? Why did he retire before the age of 30? It's not that his is the most glaringly poor selection Australia has ever had, more just that it doesn't really make any sense. And I can't find a notable cricket site with a proper biography of the man, and I'm not going to go digging for hours until I find one because I've got 28 more players to do after him.

And the player goes to... @ahmedleo414

His team so far:
Wally Edwards
Brian Vitori
Ajit de Silva

Still a pretty competent team here...

He was chairman of Cricket Australia too, if i remember correctly

 

[Aislabie]

Unlucky Dip Player 35...

Rony Stanyforth

Nominated by: @Master Bates

Test stats: 13 runs @ 2.60 (best 6*) and 9 dismissals (7 caught, 2 stumped) in 4 matches
First-class stats: 1,092 runs @ 17.33 (best 91) and 93 dismissals (72 caught, 21 stumped) in 61 matches

Rony Stanyforth wasn't a great cricketer - in his time at Oxford, he never cracked the Blues team - but he was by all accounts a really likeable guy. So likeable in fact that after going on tour to Argentina with Plum Warner in 1926, Warner asked him to be the England Test captain on account of his general affability. England won that series 2-1, and Stanyforth never played for them again, although he did find it a bit easier to make the Yorkshire side after that.

And the player goes to... @Na Maloom Afraad

His team so far:
Kyle Mills
Rony Stanyforth
Sridharan Jeganathan

I love some of the players coming out of this draft. It's just so weird.[DOUBLEPOST=1586895679][/DOUBLEPOST]

He was chairman of Cricket Australia too, if i remember correctly

He was indeed, but that was less interesting than Anurag Thakur's route to the BCCI chairmanship

 

[Aislabie]

Unlucky Dip Player 36...


Jack Blatherwick

Nominated by: @Na Maloom Afraad

First-class stats: 2 wickets @ 96.00 (best 1/82) in 2 matches

So this is one of those happy times when I've had the chance to watch one of the draftees play in person. I was at Wantage Road last year when Blatherwick got absolutely flayed by Matt Wade as he made a 50-ball hundred. Now there's no shame in that, but what was noticeable was that Blatherwick's bowling was almost remarkably unremarkable. There was no change of pace, no hostility, just the usual sort of 5'9" blonde, skiddy and whippy medium pace that a certain generation of English coaches prized above all else.

And the player goes to... @CerealKiller

His team so far:
Wasim Haider
Sanaullah Khan
Jack Blatherwick
Pommie Mbangwa
Raja Maharaj Singh

So @CerealKiller is the first person to complete their five Unlucky Dips. Honestly, he's done pretty okay - two and a bit seam bowling options and a wicket-keeper isn't a bad haul, but he really is going to need some batting from his Recovery Draft.

 

[Aislabie]

Unlucky Dip Player 37...


Clive Rose

Nominated by: @Bevab

First-class stats: 240 runs @ 17.14 (best 45) and 22 wickets @ 49.00 (best 4/64) in 10 matches

It's not just anyone who could make a decade-long career as a professional cricketer despite not really being able to bat, bowl or field very well, but Clive Rose is not like other men. Clive Rose is his own man, a man with haircuts that leave mere mortals with questions like "Huh?" and "But why?", but which leave Clive Rose with a Big Bash contract year after year. Hasn't played Shield cricket for four years though and it's for the best.

And the player goes to... @blockerdave

His team so far:
Clive Rose

And @blockerdave is the last person to start receiving Unlucky Dip players. At last!

 

[blockerdave]

Unlucky Dip Player 37...

View attachment 231402
Clive Rose

Nominated by: @Bevab

First-class stats: 240 runs @ 17.14 (best 45) and 22 wickets @ 49.00 (best 4/64) in 10 matches

It's not just anyone who could make a decade-long career as a professional cricketer despite not really being able to bat, bowl or field very well, but Clive Rose is not like other men. Clive Rose is his own man, a man with haircuts that leave mere mortals with questions like "Huh?" and "But why?", but which leave Clive Rose with a Big Bash contract year after year. Hasn't played Shield cricket for four years though and it's for the best.

And the player goes to... @blockerdave

His team so far:
Clive Rose

And @blockerdave is the last person to start receiving Unlucky Dip players. At last!

At last indeed! and an all-rounder too. i'll take that - much worse to come i'm sure!!

 

[Yash.]

Unlucky Dip Player 37...

View attachment 231402
Clive Rose

Nominated by: @Bevab

First-class stats: 240 runs @ 17.14 (best 45) and 22 wickets @ 49.00 (best 4/64) in 10 matches

It's not just anyone who could make a decade-long career as a professional cricketer despite not really being able to bat, bowl or field very well, but Clive Rose is not like other men. Clive Rose is his own man, a man with haircuts that leave mere mortals with questions like "Huh?" and "But why?", but which leave Clive Rose with a Big Bash contract year after year. Hasn't played Shield cricket for four years though and it's for the best.

And the player goes to... @blockerdave

His team so far:
Clive Rose

And @blockerdave is the last person to start receiving Unlucky Dip players. At last!

I saw one of his catches in BBL. Was really good.